Why Do You Need to Make Learning Stick?
Because otherwise, you have just wasted 8 hours of your hectic schedule investing in learning that will make no difference to your performance. Our challenge is for you to make a conscious choice to use the learning to change your behaviours. Here are the 3 options about the choice to make:
A: Put off this decision and make no choice.
Result: Your ROI from the hours you spent training will be zero. This is because the only positive ROI comes from changing your behaviour. Changing behaviour comes from retaining knowledge. Retaining knowledge comes from learning. time wasted.
B: Pretend that you’ll look at the materials you took away from the training course, in a few months. You won’t. You just won’t. The majority of people promise that they’ll take another look at the slides. They never do.
Result: Zero change in behaviour. Time wasted.
C: Choose to make the learning stick.
Result: You’ll retain more of your learnings. And you make, as a result, change your behaviours, which will improve your performance. Time invested wisely.
We recommend Option C.
9 Ways You Can Make Learning Stick – How?
1. Teach A Colleague
Proven to help you to retain more because by teaching someone else you need to have understood the learnings yourself first.
Action: Book a 20-minute meeting with a colleague to teach them what you have learnt.
2. Create a 1-Pager
For some, learning sticks when you see a visual representation. Whether you create a mind-map or a list of bullet points, create a page of what you learnt, will help you to retain more.
Action: Grab a page and start writing 3 things you remember from the training.
3. Make a Habit
Changes in behaviour happen best when triggers are put into play. For example, want to write a daily to-do list? Put blank paper in your laptop. This will stop you from reaching for emails first.
Action: Identify a habit trigger that will work for you. Something that will disrupt your behaviour.
4. Meet a Learning Buddy
Arrange to meet someone else that attended the course. A lunch talking about how you are using what you’ve learnt will help make the learning stick.
Action: Book lunch with someone that attended the same course.
5. Involve Your Line Manager
Share with your Line Manager one target. This will ensure that you use your learnings.
Action: Book a 30-minute meeting with your Line Manager.
6. Present to Your Team
No-one wants to look silly standing-up in front of their colleagues. Help make your new learning stick by presenting and sharing with your team what you have learnt.
Action: Ask your Line Manager if this is ok to do.
7. Take a Webinar
Learn some more useful tips and tricks to help make your learning stick by watching a free webinar.
Action: Register to view our free webinar – ‘Are You Frustrated By Training That Creates Short Term Interest But Not Long Term Change?’
8. Listen to a Podcast
How often do we waste time scrolling through social media? Take 10 productive minutes for you. Hear how to reinforce your learnings by listening to a podcast.
Action: Listen to our podcast to get some useful tips – Do You Attend 1-Day Training and Do Nothing with It? Are You Failing to Make Learning Stick?
9. Use a Coach
Training in a workshop is limited in what it can achieve. Executive Coaching can achieve much more. Your coach can help you to use what you have learnt at work.
Action: Contact us, or fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you.
